Brian Hoyer - Pro Football Rumors

Extra Points: Manning, Goodell, Hardy, Flacco

November 22nd, 2015 at 10:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

As Week 11 winds down, here’s the latest news from around the league.

Peyton Manning‘s acceptance of a potential front office position could have to wait, with both Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Florio (on NBC’s telecast) hearing the 39-year-old quarterback may want to play one more season. It’s doubtful the Broncos keep Manning around at a figure close to the $21.5MM he’s set to earn in 2016 during the fifth year of his five-year contract, but Florio reported Manning would consider continuing his career on another team. Cabot reports Manning might be hesitant to join the Browns‘ front office since his wife Ashley, a part owner of the Memphis Grizzlies, would prefer to stay in the south.
An old topic appears to be regaining some steam, with Roger Goodell telling Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (on Twitter) a move to expand the regular season is on the table. This would apparently involve reducing the preseason, per Tomasson, who didn’t specify whether this means the 18-game figure that caused so much contention between the NFL and NFLPA years ago. NFLPA president Eric Winston recently didn’t rule out an expansion to 18 games, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk views this subject’s resurfacing centering on the growing number of international games aligning schedules and some teams’ reluctance to give up home contests.
The Cowboys‘ patience with Greg Hardy is waning, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (as relayed by NFL.com’s Conor Orr). In addition to the on-field blowups and photos of Nicole Holder emerging recently, Hardy’s late nights are a concern to the team despite the defensive end being on a one-year deal. Hardy also showed up late for a meeting last Saturday night before the Cowboys’ game against the Buccaneers. This has induced dialogue between Hardy and Jason Garrett, Jerry Jones and various team veterans.
As he’s done throughout the season, though, Jones came to Hardy’s aid. “He is aware that everything he does — his personality, his style, his enthusiasm — it’s all going to be interpreted negatively,” Jones told ESPN.com’s Jean-Jacque Taylor. “If he’s not aware of that, then he’s hurting a lot of people. I think he really gets that. We certainly feel that way. He understands it, and he has agreed to really work on it.” This seems to contradict the above report, but it’s in line with Jones’ comments on the embattled defender throughout the season.
The Ravens will bring in another quarterback (Twitter link via Jeff Zreibec of the Baltimore Sun) after Joe Flacco‘s torn ACL injury, which Zreibec notes (on Twitter) the Ravens are confident is a torn ACL and MCL. Zreibec tweets Jason Campbell, Rex Grossman and Bengals practice squad member Keith Wenning are options. Wenning spent time on the Ravens’ roster last season.
Brian Hoyer will stay as the Texans‘ starter when he returns from a concussion, Bill O’Brien informed the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson. T.J. Yates has helped the Texans to back-to-back wins, while Hoyer sports a 13-to-4 touchdown pass-to-interception ratio.

AFC South Notes: Colts, Texans, QBs

November 19th, 2015 at 1:11pm CST by Luke Adams

There has been plenty of quarterback shuffling going on in the AFC South recently, with the return of a healthy Marcus Mariota prompting the Titans to release Charlie Whitehurst, who was claimed off waivers by the Colts, who are without Andrew Luck for a few weeks. Meanwhile, the Texans, having cut Ryan Mallett earlier this year, grabbed Brandon Weeden off waivers from the Cowboys this week.

Today’s round-up of AFC South notes, in advance of tonight’s Titans/Jaguars game, focuses on those moves, so let’s dive right in…

One AFC South executive expressed “displeasure and dismay” that the Titans would cut Whitehurst at the exact moment that the Colts were looking for a backup for Matt Hasselbeck, says Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. As Schefter explains, Whitehurst hasn’t exactly been a world-beater when he’s gotten a chance to play, but one AFC South source suggested he’d rather see the Colts have to rely on a less experienced backup.
The Texans‘ motive for claiming Weeden? They’ll likely need a veteran backup of their own this weekend, since Brian Hoyer is expected to miss Week 11 due to a concussion, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. With T.J. Yates lined up for the start, practice squad signal-caller Zac Dysert would have been the next man up as the No. 2 if Houston hadn’t made a move.
Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk wonders if the Texans were also motivated to claim Weeden so the Colts couldn’t. Both teams have the same record, but Houston has faced a slightly weaker schedule, giving them waiver priority over Indianapolis. Considering Weeden used to play for current Indy offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski, the Colts may preferred him over Whitehurst as Hasselbeck’s backup.

Texans Name Brian Hoyer Starting QB

October 9th, 2015 at 2:51pm CST by Zachary Links

What’s old is new again in Houston. Weeks after benching quarterback Brian Hoyer in favor of Ryan Mallett, Texans coach Bill O’Brien told reporters, including Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com (on Twitter), that Hoyer will once again be the team’s starter for the team’s Week 6 game against the Jaguars.

Mallett was pulled from the Thursday night game against the Colts after taking a big hit in the backfield. Hoyer, the team’s original starter for the season, was called in and he played decently the rest of the way. Hoyer completed 24-of-31 passes for 312 yards and tossed two touchdowns to rookie Jaelen Strong.

Despite lacking a franchise-caliber quarterback last year, the Texans finished 9-7 and nearly made their first trip to the playoffs since 2012. In the offseason, the team traded Ryan Fitzpatrick to the Jets for a conditional late-round pick. Fitzpatrick started 12 games, completed over 63% of his passes, and threw 17 touchdowns against eight interceptions in 2014. The 32-year-old is career journeyman who has never been a world-beater, but he did fare respectably enough last season to rank as Pro Football Focus’ (subscription required) 12th-best QB out of 28 signal callers who played at least 50 percent of their teams’ offensive snaps.

To replace Fitzpatrick, Houston signed free agent Brian Hoyer on a two-year deal worth $4.75MM guaranteed, and re-signed Ryan Mallett to a two-year of his own worth $7MM. Neither was on Fitzpatrick’s level in 2014 and, so far, they haven’t played up to that level in 2015 either.

Hoyer will now have an opportunity to reassert himself as Houston’s starting quarterback, but it’s starting to look like the Texans will need to address the position once again in the offseason.

Sunday Roundup: Bryant, Chancellor, Broncos

September 20th, 2015 at 10:27pm CST by Rob DiRe

Cowboys dynamic receiver Dez Bryant has a very unclear timeline for his return. Initial reports had him returning in 4-6 weeks, while subsequent stories suggested he could miss as many as 10 or 12 games due to his foot injury. However, amidst these conflicting reports, Bryant himself chose to weigh in on these reports via his personal Twitter account.

“Whenever the media can’t talk to me, reports get made like this,” Bryant tweeted. “10 to 12 weeks… we will just see how long I’m out lol. Go cowboys!!”

Here’s more from around the NFL:

Seahawks general manager John Schneider can sleep a little easier while holding strong in his stance against renegotiating Kam Chancellor‘s contract. Owner Paul Allen supports Schneider in this standoff, reports Conor Orr of NFL.com. That is one less force pressuring the team to soften its stance on negotiations with the superstar safety.
The Broncos may be 2-0 after escaping with narrow wins against both Baltimore and Kansas City, but they have a big question at running back. Starter C.J. Anderson has been ineffective, and backup Ronnie Hillman has emerged as a potentially better option for Denver. Troy Renck and Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post argue about if and when the team should make a change.
Many fans were confused by how quickly the Texans switched from Brian Hoyer to Ryan Mallett after just one game. Kevin Patra of NFL.com passes on a few reasons, courtesy of reporting done by Ian Rapoport. Those reasons include the spark Mallett brought to the team, how he handled losing the starting job, eliminating negative plays, and simply looking for star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

Community Tailgate: Texans QB Situation

September 17th, 2015 at 5:20pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

With the NFL season underway, we have a whole new series of topics to discuss, and PFR’s Community Tailgate is designed to address those topics. What’s the Community Tailgate all about? Well, it’s pretty simple. Every weekday, we’ll highlight one of the top stories going on in the NFL. Then, in the comment section below, we want you to weigh in and let us know what you think.

Of course, while the debate may get spirited, we ask that it all stays respectful. If you need a reminder of our rules, please check out our commenting policy. Basically, we ask that you refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults, and attacks. Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Pro Football Rumors. You are no longer required to be a registered user – simply put in your name, email address, and comment and submit.

Despite lacking a franchise-caliber quarterback last year, the Texans finished 9-7 and nearly made their first trip to the playoffs since 2012. The team responded in the offseason by trading Ryan Fitzpatrick to the Jets for a conditional late-round pick. Fitzpatrick started 12 games, completed over 63 percent of passes, and threw 17 touchdowns against eight interceptions in 2014. The 32-year-old is career journeyman who has never been a world-beater, but he did fare respectably enough last season to rank as Pro Football Focus’ (subscription required) 12th-best QB out of 28 signal callers who played at least 50 percent of their teams’ offensive snaps.

To replace Fitzpatrick, Houston made a couple of two-year signings: They added free agent Brian Hoyer on a deal worth $4.75MM guaranteed, and re-signed Ryan Mallett for $7MM. Neither was on Fitzpatrick’s level in 2014. As a member of the Browns, Hoyer started 13 games, ranked 24th out of PFF’s 28 qualifying QBs and also put up worse traditional numbers than Fitzpatrick (55.3 completion rate, 12 TDs, 13 INTs). Mallett amassed similarly uninspiring stats in three games with Houston, completing 54.7 percent of passes and averaging a meager 5.3 yards per attempt.

Hoyer and Mallett competed during the summer for the starting job – a battle that Hoyer won. However, his stay atop Houston’s QB depth chart didn’t last long. After going 18 of 34 for 236 yards, a score and a pick in Week 1, head coach Bill O’Brien pulled Hoyer in favor of Mallett in the Texans’ 27-20 loss to the Chiefs. Mallett fared well in relief (8 of 13, 98 yards and a TD). That was enough for O’Brien to name Mallett the team’s starter for this Sunday’s game against the Panthers.

While the season is only a week old, it appears QB is primed to weigh down a fairly talented Texans team in 2015. With that in mind, did the organization handle the position properly during the offseason? Instead of Hoyer and/or Mallett, should they have signed a different free agent? Were they wrong to jettison Fitzpatrick, who is now the Jets’ starter and turned in a solid opening week performance? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

Texans To Bench Hoyer, Start Mallett

September 17th, 2015 at 1:30pm CST by Zachary Links

THURSDAY, 1:30pm: The Texans officially announced that Mallett will be the team’s starting quarterback on Sunday against the Panthers.

WEDNESDAY, 1:34pm: Just one game into the 2015 season, the Texans are gearing up to make a change under center. This Sunday against the Panthers, the Texans are planning to start Ryan Mallett over free agent addition Brian Hoyer, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Both Hoyer and Mallett signed two-year contracts with the Texans this past March, with Mallett getting a $7MM deal from the team, while Hoyer received a $10.5MM pact. While Mallett had the advantage of having spent the 2014 season in Houston, Hoyer has the more extensive résumé as a starter, having started 17 career games, including 13 last season for the Browns. Mallett has just two career starts.

Hoyer, who had a 7-6 record last season being replaced by Johnny Manziel in Cleveland, signed a two-year contract with $4.75MM guaranteed. Despite far less in-game seasoning in two career starts (both coming last season), Mallett re-signed on a two-year, $7MM deal shortly after to create a strange scenario where a team signs both of its potential starting signal-callers in free agency. The 29-year-old Hoyer was set to be in the lower third of compensation for starting QBs while Mallett, 27, was to be one of the league’s best-compensated backups.

Despite neither completing passes at a rate higher than 55 percent last year, Hoyer and Mallett were two of the most coveted QBs in a barren veteran class. After Hoyer’s rough start to the 2015 season, the Texans are probably glad that they doubled up on competent signal callers.

Texans To Start Brian Hoyer At QB

August 24th, 2015 at 8:27am CST by Luke Adams

The Texans have made a decision in their quarterback battle, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports (via Twitter) that Brian Hoyer will open the regular season as Houston’s starting QB. Hoyer and Ryan Mallett had been vying for the position throughout the offseason and into the preseason.

Both Hoyer and Mallett signed two-year contracts with the Texans this past March, with Mallett getting a $7MM deal from the team, while Hoyer received a $10.5MM pact. While Mallett had the advantage of having spent the 2014 season in Houston, Hoyer has the more extensive résumé as a starter, having started 17 career games, including 13 last season for the Browns. Mallett has just two career starts.

The decision shouldn’t have a real impact on the Texans’ roster or on either quarterback’s short-term contract prospects, since both Mallett and Hoyer – along with third QB Tom Savage – are on multiyear deals. All three signal-callers still appear very likely to make the regular-season roster. It’s also not guaranteed that Hoyer will finish the season as the Texans’ starting quarterback.

Still, if Hoyer takes the job and runs with it, it could have a serious long-term impact on the earning potential of him and Mallett. At $5.25MM per year, Hoyer would be one of the least expensive veteran starters in the league, and he’d be due for a raise after next season if he hangs onto the job and plays well.

Community Tailgate: Texans QB Situation

June 26th, 2015 at 5:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

We’re still a few months away from the start of battles on the NFL gridiron, but there’s no offseason when it comes to debate amongst fans. This week, we’ve launched a new series here at PFR that will be known as the Community Tailgate. What’s the Community Tailgate all about? Well, it’s pretty simple. Every weekday, we’ll highlight one of the top stories going on in the NFL. Then, in the comment section below, we want you to weigh in and let us know what you think.

Of course, while the debate may get spirited, we ask that it all stays respectful. If you need a reminder of our rules, please check out our commenting policy. Basically, we ask that you refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults, and attacks. Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Pro Football Rumors. You are no longer required to be a registered user – simply put in your name, email address, and comment and submit.

Until this week’s possibly apocryphal discussion of Peyton Manning returning to the AFC South, we hadn’t heard a ton on the subject of the Texans’ quarterback situation. The spot’s been in relatively unsteady hands since former Pro Bowler Matt Schaub‘s rapid swoon helped sink the Texans, who were one Week 17 win away from home-field advantage in 2012, into ownership of the top spot in the Jadeveon Clowney sweepstakes during a 2-14 campaign in 2013. And since, the team’s addressed its biggest need area with essential but unspectacular moves. From what turned out to be a one-year rental of Ryan Fitzpatrick before trading the journeyman to the Jets, to selecting Tom Savage in the fourth round last year, to now creating a derby between ex-Tom Brady understudies Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer that doesn’t have many NFL pundits revved up.

He of a 7-6 record last season before being replaced by Johnny Manziel in Cleveland, Hoyer signed a two-year contract worth $10.5MM ($4.75MM guaranteed). Despite far less in-game seasoning in two career starts (both coming last season), Mallett re-signed on a two-year, $7MM deal shortly after to create a strange scenario where a team signs both of its potential starting signal-callers in free agency. The 29-year-old Hoyer is the 21st-highest-paid quarterback in 2015, per OverTheCap, while Mallett, 27, ranks as one of the league’s best-compensated backups in the event Hoyer can beat out the former third-round pick. Despite neither completing passes at a rate higher than 55 percent last year, Hoyer and Mallett were two of the most coveted QBs in a barren veteran class. Yet the Texans acted quickly to sign each, signifying what may again be a dire scenario for a team that re-routed its fortunes back to respectability behind a strong running game and the league’s best defensive player.

The Texans’ defense, which ranked seventh in points yielded in 2014, will aid the winner of this battle. But Houston could still be restricted by limited quarterback play. Longtime Houston Chronicle scribe John McClain notes of each player’s minicamp progression in Bill O’Brien‘s offense with which both Hoyer and Mallett are familiar (Hoyer spent three years under O’Brien in New England). McClain calls Hoyer the safer option, with Mallett presenting “terrific” upside.

So, which which of these ex-Patriots should get the chance to lead the Houston offense this season? Does the 6-foot-6 Mallett’s possibly greater potential need to finally be either validated or exposed as flawed thinking, or should the 6-3 Hoyer’s experience winning in a Browns offense devoid of much weaponry warrant the first shot at the Texans’ gig? Does this become a revolving-door scenario where each jostle for the job all season, or does O’Brien have the patience to let one develop behind a solid offensive line? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Texans Sign Brian Hoyer

March 11th, 2015 at 5:23pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 5:23pm: The Texans officially announced the signing of Hoyer.

12:45pm: The Texans have completed their two-year deal with Hoyer, tweets Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle.

11:52am: Hoyer’s deal will be a two-year pact worth $10.5MM with $4.75MM guaranteed, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

TUESDAY, 12:54pm: Agent Joe Linta tells Pro Football Talk (Twitter link) that Hoyer’s deal isn’t done yet, which may signal that he could land elsewhere, or may just mean that the Texans and Hoyer’s camp are trying to avoid the NFL’s wrath on early agreements.

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle tweets that he expects the Texans to take their time to make the deal official, since the league is “all over” teams about reaching deals prior to the start of free agency. Houston may even have Hoyer in for a visit, says McClain.

10:48am: Hoyer will sign with the Texans after all, per Schefter and Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Caplan notes (via Twitter) that the Jets were insistent on getting their shot at Hoyer, but the veteran quarterback ultimately decided on Houston.

MONDAY, 9:33am: While Hoyer is still expected to land in Houston, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com and Brian Costello of the New York Post both report (via Twitter) that the Jets haven’t given up yet.

8:48am: The Texans are expected to add a free agent quarterback to the roster as soon as teams can officially sign players tomorrow, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network, who reports (via Twitter) that the club intends to sign Brian Hoyer. Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 Washington first reported this morning (via Twitter) that Hoyer would be a Texan.

While it sounds like the Texans and Hoyer have reached a verbal agreement, nothing’s official yet, and according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Jets were expected to make a push for the former Browns signal-caller today. Pat McManamon of ESPN.com also tweeted that the Jets were set to make a last-ditch offer, but both ESPN scribes acknowledged that Hoyer would likely end up in Houston.

Hoyer, 29, saw his first extended run as a starter in 2014, and though his overall numbers – including a 55.3% completion percentage, 12 touchdowns to 13 interceptions, and a 76.5 passer rating – weren’t overly impressive, he led the Browns to a 7-6 record in his starts before giving way to Johnny Manziel and Connor Shaw near the end of the season.

Despite his winning record, Hoyer didn’t receive much interest from the Browns this offseason, as the team opted instead to bring in former Buccaneers starter Josh McCown. So, rather than returning to Cleveland to compete again with Manziel, Hoyer will be reuniting with Bill O’Brien, who coached him during his years with the Patriots.

The Texans also continue to move toward a new deal with Ryan Mallett, and the team plans on bringing in both veteran free agent signal-callers, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. With Case Keenum and 2014 draftee Tom Savage also under contract for the 2015 season, it sounds like there could be a wide open competition for the Texans’ starting job, and perhaps for the No. 2 and No. 3 roles as well.

Hoyer’s new contract with the Texans will likely be for three years, tweets Breer.

Contract Details: Maclin, Thomas, Hughes, Odrick

March 11th, 2015 at 4:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are a few details on some of this week’s noteworthy new contracts:

AFC deals:

Jeremy Maclin, WR (Chiefs): Five years, $55MM. $22.5MM fully guaranteed. $12MM signing bonus (Twitter links via Joel Corry of CBSSports.com).
Julius Thomas, TE (Jaguars): Five years, $46MM. $21MM fully guaranteed. $28.3MM in first three years (Twitter link via Albert Breer of the NFL Network).
Jerry Hughes, DE (Bills): Five years, $45MM base value. $7MM signing bonus. $11.775MM fully guaranteed. $1MM annually in sack-based incentives (Twitter links via Corry and Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
Jared Odrick, DL (Jaguars): Five years, $42.5MM. $22.5MM guaranteed. $5MM roster bonus in 2015 (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
Brandon Flowers, CB (Chargers): Four years, $36.4MM base value. $20.5MM guaranteed. $8MM signing bonus. $2.25MM first-year cap hit (Twitter link via Wilson).
Curtis Lofton, LB (Raiders): Three years, $18MM base value. $10MM guaranteed. $6.5MM in first year, including $3.5MM roster bonus (Twitter links via Pelissero and Wilson).
Kendall Langford, DT (Colts): Four years, $17.2MM base value. $2.5MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports).
Brian Hoyer, QB (Texans): Two years, $10.5MM base value. $3.75MM roster bonus to be paid this month. $5.25MM annual cap hits (Twitter link via John McClain of the Houston Chronicle).
A.J. Hawk, LB (Bengals): Two years, $3.25MM base value. $500K guaranteed (Twitter link via Pelissero).

NFC deals:

Torrey Smith, WR (49ers): Five years, $40MM base value. $8MM signing bonus. $8.75MM fully guaranteed. $3.6MM first-year cap hit (Twitter links via Corry).
Bryan Bulaga, T (Packers): Five years, $33.75MM base value. $8MM signing bonus. $3.6MM first-year cap hit (Twitter links via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com).
Stephen Paea, DT (Washington): Four years, $21MM. $7.85MM guaranteed. $5MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
Corey Peters, DT (Cardinals): Three years, $9MM base value. $5.75MM guaranteed. $2MM signing bonus (Twitter links via Wilson).
Justin Durant, LB (Falcons): Three years, $10.8MM base value. $4.5MM in 2015. $3MM available in incentives (Twitter link via Pelissero).
Dwan Edwards, DT (Panthers): Two years, $4MM base value. $1MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
Sean Weatherspoon, LB (Cardinals): One year, $3.58MM base value. $1.25MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
Major Wright, S (Buccaneers): Two years, $3MM base value (Twitter link via Pelissero).